Directions

In a medium bowl, mix together the ground beef, onion, egg yolk, oregano, salt and pepper.

Pick up medium sized handfuls and press them onto skewers. Roll on a lightly oiled clean surface until the mixture looks like a large ground beef hot dog with about 1 1/2 inches at each end of the skewer. Place your fingers in the middle of the skewer and separate the meat log into two sausages with about 1 inch of skewer sticking out at each end.

Prepare a grill for high heat, or if you only have a grill pan, like myself, heat it over medium-high heat.

Place the sausages on the grilling surface, and cook for about 10 minutes, turning once or twice for even cooking. Serve immediately.

Most Helpful Critical Review

Apr 14, 2008

I was not happy with the recipe at all it tasted like a meatloaf. So I took the advice of Sister Serena and it was absolutely awesome!! My husband is from Egypt and he said this way was just like home.

I reviewed all the reviews and then made some more changes, this was perfectly yummy! First off, I used 1/2 ground beef (80/20) and 1/2 ground lamb (85/15). You want to use meat with a bit more fat on the grill to keep it juicy. The onion is really better if you mince or run through a food processor; I used a Vidalia, it was sweet and juicy! I added a cup of chopped cilantro and a 1/2 cup of chopped spearmint from the garden. I added 5 minced garlic cloves; we LOVE garlic! One more addition that makes it taste more authentic to me: 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. I also added a teaspoon of kosher salt and a teaspoon of pepper. You can see from my photo that I used kabob baskets...I cannot ever get a ground meat kabob to stick to a skewer so these are just necessary for me! (I think I am skewer-challenged!) I did NOT add an egg yolk. I grilled over high heat for 1-1/2 minutes on each of the 4 sides and they were still juicy and medium.
Here is the final tip: I did dip my kofta in Sumac! This may be the actual flavor that some are searching for when they want authentic. Ground sumac doesn't taste all that interesting on it's own, but when you dip the meat into the powder, it brings out all different flavors. That's MY two cents on this recipe from Persia and Egypt and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did; take a look at my photos to see a kabob grilling basket!

This gets 4 stars only after I changed it quite a bit. I didn't even try the recipe as printed because it looks so bland.I added 3 TB dry chili flakes. 2TB each minced ginger & garlic. 1 small diced red onion. 1 whole egg instead of just the yolk, and a bunch of chopped fresh cilantro. I think you would normally do parsley instead of cilantro but I just love cilantro.

My dear, I have never been to the Middle East, but your kofta recipe certainly transported me there! A delicious blend of spices and flavors and a simple method of cooking. I did add some paprika and fresh cilantro, and the flavors were exotic. I served it with homemade hummus, pocket bread and the Eggplant Curry, and couscous from the website, and WOW! A very picky eater with our dinner guests had thirds! And lots of compliments. Thanks for a superb addition to my recipe collection.

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.